Top covered last night

[Got Wood]

After a good long stretch of dry low humidity days and showers in the forecast for most of the next week I broke down and top covered the stacks I plan to use this year (no shed). Left next years (and after) supply uncovered. Premature? Whats your timing for top covering here in the north east?

 

[pulldownclaw]

I just covered my slightly punky, first in line pine before we got a bunch of rain this week. It soaks up water like a sponge, but I found the good solid pine that I split up quickly after it was bucked seems to be fine. I may uncover again if we get a nice solid stretch of dry weather. Everything else is uncovered.

 

[billb3]

my stacks are always top covered, part of the building the stack ritual.

I figure every minute wet is a minute not seasoning. May or may not be, but the top row isn't covered with bird sh!t,either.

 

[stejus]

I keep this years wood covered when it rains and uncovered when it's not. Next years wood is uncovered and will be top covered just before the first snowfall. Takes about 10 minutes to cover the piles, no big deal.

I will permanently top cover all of them just prior to the first snow fall to get as much drying as possible.

This next rain event is NE is short lived. Just scattered showers on Fri and early Sat. From there on to mid next week, sunny and breezy.

Too early to cover up permanently IMO.

 

[Got Wood]

I keep this years wood covered when it rains and uncovered when it's not. Next years wood is uncovered and will be top covered just before the first snowfall. Takes about 10 minutes to cover the piles, no big deal.

I will permanently top cover all of them just prior to the first snow fall to get as much drying as possible.

This next rain event is NE is short lived. Just scattered showers on Fri and early Sat. From there on to mid next week, sunny and breezy.

Too early to cover up permanently IMO.

I think I may do the same... your right it isnt a big deal to cover/uncover. You motivated me....

 

[Archie]

Well I'm not in the NE, but I'm changing my timing this year to be a bit earlier. I'm covering in early to mid Oct, before the leaves start to fall in earnest, not to mention all the other debris from a bunch of hickory, oak and beech trees around the house. Last year, I waited too late and got alot of debris in my stacks. In your area, I think your timing is probably good.

 

[LLigetfa]

Aside from all the two year supply of wood in my shed, I have only one of my outdoor 2 cord stacks top covered with EPDM rubber. The rest got rained on heavy last night.

The reason I have one stack covered is that only half of what's in the shed is good to burn this year. The other half needs another year before it's ready so I have one top covered outdoor stack getting lots of sun and air In case I need it this Winter.

 

[Redburn]

I covered the top of my piles to . Southern CT got hit with allot of rain this year and this is as dry as it has been in a while we are expecting some showers tonight and in tomorrow so I'm being safe and covering up.....

 

[budman]

I,LL wait till mid October to cover,there is some good drying weather to come.

 

[BrotherBart]

I top covered the wood for this year in August. Of 2007.

 

[Todd]

I can't find it now but I was reading an article from Australia where they were talking about not covering firewood at all because the rain or dampening your pile occasionally help keep the wood fibers open and helps draw the water out from the center of the wood. I suppose some woods like the infamous Red Oak dry up and shrink those straws so much the inside moisture has a hard time escaping? Anyways I'm so far ahead on firewood I'll just keep mine under cover.

 

[ChrisN]

I use a smallish tarp to cover only about a month's worth of wood. all the rest of the stacks are left uncovered. I only cover what I do to keep from having to tote snow covered or rained on splits into the house

 

[savageactor7]

We're in the NE and don't cover the wood till close to Thanksgiving.

 

[BigV]

My son is a roofer and replaced a rubber roof last year. He cut the old rubber into 6' wide by 16' long sections and brought them to me. I use these to cover the tops of my wood as soon as I get a 16' section stacked. I keep it this way until I need the wood. I am a little over 2 years ahead so I have no worries about seasoning.

 

[cruzer]

I am planning on dragging out the tarp tonight to cover my wood. Will probably play the cover uncover game until it gets much later in the season. I think I have enough free lumber to put a simple woodshed up but that willtake some tim...something I never seem to have.

 

[Got Wood]

Well its raining hard out there now and I'm feeling good that the stacks are covered. We are due for a decent stretch of dry days so if I'll probably uncover to take advantage. Good point made by Archie about debris falling onto and into the stacks... my piles will be covered in leaves in a month or so - I'll keep them covered during that time.

 

[Hurricane]

I covered three of my stacks before the rain last night.
I am not sure if it will help but it made me feel better.
I agree that after such a wet spring and early summer I am starting to see some serious cracking of my wood. I have three other stacks not covered and one covered since last winter.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

There are about 15-16 cords of ours covered and 9 uncovered. Those 9 will be covered in November or December.

 

[JotulOwner]

I know that there is a lot of controversy regarding whether or not to cover wood at the top before it is ready to be burned. What I don't understand is how leaving it uncovered can be beneficial if sunlight can't reach much below the top layer of a large, tightly-stacked pile. Why is there the need to evaporate rain before continuing the drying process?

I guess if it is stacked in single rows with plenty of space between, it might be an acceptable approach, but, otherwise, maybe not. If dry wind can evaporate moisture from the splits, why is sunlight reaching the top row a concern?

 

[LLigetfa]

If you stack multiple rows close together and then tarp the monolithic block, it will limit air movement near the middle. My outdoor stacks were never more than 3 rows (5' x 20') so there was enough air movement in the middle. This year I got pallets so I now have 2 rows (40" x 20') so there is even better air movement. I suppose single rows would be better but I'm in no hurry.

 

[BrotherBart]

I stack nine cords in one cord rows in a block with a continuous rubber roofing cover and I am afraid to smoke around the stacks they are so dry. Pallets let air in the bottom and 18 inches between the rows allows air movement between the rows.

Like Lee Trevino's golf swing, I keep doing it wrong the same way every time.

 

[LLigetfa]

...18 inches between the rows allows air movement between the rows.

Then not really the monolithic block I described.

 

[BrotherBart]

...18 inches between the rows allows air movement between the rows.

Then not really the monolithic block I described.

Hmmm... Must be why I didn't say "monolithic". :cheese:

 

[JoeyD]

I know that there is a lot of controversy regarding whether or not to cover wood at the top before it is ready to be burned. What I don't understand is how leaving it uncovered can be beneficial if sunlight can't reach much below the top layer of a large, tightly-stacked pile. Why is there the need to evaporate rain before continuing the drying process?

I guess if it is stacked in single rows with plenty of space between, it might be an acceptable approach, but, otherwise, maybe not. If dry wind can evaporate moisture from the splits, why is sunlight reaching the top row a concern?

I agree.

 

[LLigetfa]

Some theorize that solar heating the tops create convection currents as the heated air rises and the moisture is driven out of the heated wood. I think BB has the right approach with the rubber roofing and the spaced rows. The black rubber gets hot in the sun and heats the underside while the spaced rows allow convection. The occasional bit of humidity trapped under it when the rubber cools at night would burn off fast enough not to be a detriment. I lay 20 foot lengths of rebar on top of my stacks under the rubber to provide a bit of air space so that the moisture trapped under the rubber can escape. I clamp the rubber to the rebar in places so the wind doesn't roll it off.

The "don't cover" camp also theorize that rain that percolates down through the pile doesn't soak in but rather just runs off. In practice, there will always be places where water is trapped and has time to soak in. I see it by the dark stains and wetness when I take apart my uncovered piles. I always stack bark side up so that rain which doesn't run off, gets trapped in the bark rather on the surface of the wood. The water soaked into the bark will evaporate but in so doing humidifies the air reducing the drying time.

I don't cover most of my outdoor stacks/piles mainly because I don't have enough rubber to cover all of it. I'm also too lazy to bother to weigh it down and fix it up whenever the wind blows it off. If I didn't have a woodshed, I would be covering all of it with rubber roofing.